THE WORLD'S WONDERS. 87 



shouted to his officers to tear them down, which was no sooner 

 said than done, by the attendants in a body shoving on and 

 trampling them under as an elephant would crush small trees to 

 keep his course. So pushing, floundering through plantain and 

 shrub, pell-mell one upon the other, that the king's pace might 

 not be checked, or any one come in for a royal kick or blow, 

 they came upon the prostrate bird. " Woh, woh, woh ! " cried 

 the king again, " there he is, sure enough ; come here women 

 come and look what wonders!" And all the women, in the 

 highest excitement, " woh-wohed " as loud as any of the men. 

 But that was not enough. " Come along, Bana," said the king, 

 " we must have some more sport ; " and saying this, he directed 

 the way toward the queen's palace, the attendants leading, 

 followed by the pages, then the king, next Speke,and finally the 

 women, some forty or fifty, who constantly attended him. 



To make the most of the king's good humor, while he wanted 

 to screen himself from the blazing sun, Speke asked him if 

 he would like to enjoy the pleasures of an umbrella ; and without 

 giving him time to answer, he held his own over him as they walked 

 side by side. The wakungu were astonished, and the women 

 prattled in great delight ; while the king, hardly able to control 

 himself, sidled and spoke to his flatterers as if he were doubly 

 created monarch of all he surveyed. Then, growing more 

 familiar, he said, " Now, Bana, do tell me did you not shoot 

 that bird with something more than common ammunition? lam 

 sure you did, now ; there was magic in it." And all that could 

 be said to the contrary would not convince him. " But we will 

 see again." "At buffaloes?" said Speke. "No, the buffaloes 

 are too far off now ; we will wait to go after them until I have 

 given you a hut close by." Presently as some herons were 

 flying overhead, he said, "Now shoot, shoot!" and Speke 

 brought a couple down right and left. He stared, and everybody 

 stared, believing the white man to be a magician, when the king 

 said he would like to have pictures of the birds drawn and hung 

 up in the palace ; " but let us go and shoot some more, for it is 

 truly wonderful." Similar results followed, for the herons were 



